What's Changing with Supplier Requests?
Current State
GVSU is required to collect W-9's from suppliers in order to set them up with a vendor account in Banner. Departments can request that suppliers be set up using a variety of methods. Departments can send a supplier’s W-9 to either the Procurement or Accounts Payable teams, suppliers can send their W-9's to the teams, or departments can send in W-9's with backup documentation for a requisition. Procurement or Accounts Payable will set up the supplier in Banner. Suppliers do not have to be set up prior to submitting a requisition in Banner or a check request in Onbase, but do need to be set up before a PO can be issued or an invoice can be paid.
Future State
GVSU will still be required to collect W-9's from suppliers in order to set them up with a Workday supplier account. Suppliers will need to be set up in Workday prior to departments entering a requisition or supplier invoice request. Suppliers will be maintained by a central person in the Business & Finance office, with the role of Supplier Administrator. Departments can submit a Supplier Request in Workday to provide the Supplier Administrator with all of the relevant information that is needed to set up a supplier. Alternatively, departments can instruct their suppliers to register themselves using the supplier portal. Departments can expect a 24-hour turnaround time for supplier requests to be completed. Changes to a supplier will also be initiated by departments, AP or Procurement through a Supplier Change request. The Change Request will be finalized by the Supplier Administrator.
Who is Impacted?
- GVSU Faculty & Staff making purchases using a requisition and/or supplier invoice request
- Suppliers
Benefits
- Supplier maintenance is centralized to one person (and a backup) making the request process more streamlined and efficient.
- Departments no longer have to email W-9's, they can be uploaded securely to Workday directly.
- Departments can see the status of their supplier requests in Workday.
- Departments can shift the responsibility of the registration process directly to the suppliers by instructing them to utilize the supplier portal.
Potential Challenges
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Supplier requests require more data entry from the departments and may be more challenging than just sending an email.
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Suppliers may be hesitant to register using the supplier portal.
Other Important Information
- W-9's (and W-8's) can be found on the Accounts Payable and IRS websites.
- Training materials for departments and suppliers will be available prior to go-live in January 2024.
Contact
- Erica Herwig, Assistant Controller AP and Finance Systems
- Heather White, Assistant Director of Procurement